2007年12月英语六级真题及答案
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2007年12月大学英语六级考试真题Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Like most people, I’ve long understood that I will be judged by my occupation, that my profession is a gauge people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people. I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they’d never say or do to their most casual acquaintances. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then beckoned (示意) me back with his finger minute later, complaining he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon (勤杂工) plenty of people. But at19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked — cordially.I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.My job title made people treat me with courtesy. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to cater to others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t g et the difference between server and servant.I’m now applying to graduated school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want, I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.52. The author was disappointed to find that _______.[A] one’s position is used as a gauge to measure one’s intelligence[B] talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job[C] one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person[D] professionals tend to look down upon manual workers53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?[A] Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.[B] People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.[C] Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.[D] Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all.54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?[A] She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professional.[B] She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.[C] She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.[D] She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.55. What does the author imply by saying “…many of my customers didn’t get the difference betweenserver and servant”(Lines 3-4, Para.7)?[A] Those who cater to others’ needs are destined to be looked down upon.[B] Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.[C] Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.[D] The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as server nowadays.56. The author says she’ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to ________.[A] see what kind of person they are[B] experience the feeling of being served[C] show her generosity towards people inferior to her[D] arouse their sympathy for people living a humble lifePassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.What’s hot for 2007 among the very rich? A $7.3million diamond ring. A trip to Tanzania to hunt wild animals. Oh, and income inequality.Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality for years. But increasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are staring to worry about income inequality and the fate of the middle class.In December, Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S. News & World Report, which he owns. “our nation’s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,” lamented (哀叹) the 117th-richest man in America. “Most of our economic gains have gone to people at the very top of the income ladder. Average income for a household of people of working a ge, by contrast, has fallen five years in a raw.” He noted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fear that a major health problem can reduce them to bankrupt cy.”Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman’s anger over the bitter struggles faced by middle-class Americans. “It’s an outrage that any American’s life expectancy should be shortened simply because the company they worked for went bankrupt and ended health-care coverage,” said the former chairman of the International Steel Group.What’s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, the popularity of measures like increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by Ca lifornia’s governor to offer universal health care, these guys don’t need their own personal weathermen to know which way the wind blows.It’s possible that plutocrats (有钱有势的人) are expressing solidarity with the struggling middle class as part of an effort to insulate themselves from confiscatory (没收性的) tax policies. But the prospect that income inequality will lead to higher taxes on the wealthy doesn’t keep plutocrats up at night. They can live with that.No, what they fear was that the political challenges of sustaining support for global economic integration will be more difficult in the United States because of what has happened to the distribution of income and economic insecurity.In other words, if middle-class Americans continue to struggle financially as the ultrawealthy grow ever wealthier, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain political support for the free flow of goods, services, and capital across borders. And when the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreign goods, it’s likely to en courage reciprocal action abroad. For people who buy and sell companies, or who allocate capital to markets all around the world, that’s the real nightmare.57. What is the current topic of common interest among the very rich in America?[A] The fate of the ultrawealthy people.[B] The disintegration of the middle class.[C] The inequality in the distribution of wealth.[D] The conflict between the left and the right wing.58. What do we learn from Mortimer Zuckerman’s lamentation?[A] Many middle-income families have failed to make a bargain for better welfare.[B] The American economic system has caused companies to go bankrupt.[C] The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth.[D] The majority of Americans ben efit little from the nation’s growing wealt h.59. From the fifth paragraph we can learn that ________.[A] the very rich are fashion-conscious[B] the very rich are politically sensitive[C] universal health care is to be implemented throughout America[D] Congress has gained popularity by increasing the minimum wage60. What is the real reason for plutocrats to express solidarity with the middle class?[A] They want to protect themselves from confiscatory taxation.[B] They know that the middle class contributes most to society.[C] They want to gain support for global economic integration.[D] They feel increasingly threatened by economic insecurity.61. What may happen if the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreigngoods?[A] The prices of imported goods will inevitably soar beyond control.[B] The investors will have to make great efforts to re-allocate capital.[C] The wealthy will attempt to buy foreign companies across borders.[D]. Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return.阅读Section B52 C One’s occupationaffects the way one is treated as a person.53 A Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.54 D She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.55 B Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.56 A See what kind of person they are.57 C The inequality in the distribution of wealth.58 C The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth59 B The very rich are politically sensitive.60 C They want to gain support for global economics’integration.61 D Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return.。
2007年12月大学英语六级考试真题(A卷)College English Test—Band Six—Part ⅠWriting (30 minutes)Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled The Digital Age. You shouldwrite at least 150 words following the outline given below.1.如今数字化产品得到越来越广泛的使用,例如…2.数字化产品的使用对人们工作、学习和生活产生的影响The Digital AgePart ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)本题客观选择题共计7分,每小题1分。
Directions: In this part you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Seven Ways to Save the WorldForget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial—riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Romer to cut costs at his family-owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about €100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his €90,000 fuel and power bill by €60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost—or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even Greorge W. Bush, theweek.The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact:InsulateSpace he ating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero-energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and col d out(or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces(ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air-conditioner running)have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.Change BulbsLighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year.Comfort ZoneWater boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer the system can be reversed to cool buildings as well.Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.Remake FactoriesFrom steel mills to paper factories, indust ry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than €200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company 200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing(优化)energy efficiency is a decisive compet itive advantage,” says BASF CEO Jürgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA quarter of the world’s energy—including two thirds of the annual production of oil—is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent的)models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances, producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an lnternational Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption(and their utility bills)by 43 percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investments? “Energy service contractors”will pay for retrofitting(翻新改造)in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting C hina’s steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace, slashing the client’s fuel costs. Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.If sa ving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalists still push that view.Smar t governments can help push the market in the right direction. The EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new buildings are required to have an “energy pass” detailing power and heating consumption. Countries like Japan and Germany have successively tightened building codes, requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays?A) Raising efficiency.B) Cutting unnecessary costs.C) Finding alternative resources.D) Sacrificing some personal comforts.2. What does the European Union plan to do?A) Diversify energy supply.B) Cut energy consumption.C) Reduce carbon emissions.3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to________.A) improve your work environmentB) cut your utility bills by halfC) get rid of air-conditionersD) enjoy much better health4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?A) A small portion.B) Some 40 percent.C) Almost half.D) 75 to 80 percent.5. Some countries have tried to jump-start the market of heat pumps by________.A) upgrading the equipmentB) encouraging investmentsC) implementing high-techD) providing subsidies6. German chemicals giant BASF saves 200 million a year by________.A) recycling heat and energyB) setting up factories in ChinaC) using the newest technologyD) reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if________.A) we increase the insulation of walls and water pipesB) we choose simpler models of electrical appliancesC) we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goodsD) we choose the most efficient models of refigerators and other white goods8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’ ________.9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with ________.10. The strongest incentives for energy conservation will derive from________.Part ⅢListening Comprehension (35 minutes)本题Section A&B共计25分,每小题1分。
2007年12月六级Part I WritingDigital AgeWith the fantastic spurt of science and technology, we have entered the digital age. V arious digital products, such as MP3s. cell phones, digital televisions and cameras, have found their way into the life of common people. Strolling on the street, we may find that traffic lights have been digitalized.The wide use of digital products has exerted a profound effect on almost every aspect of our life, study and work. V arious products have greatly facilitated our life and enhanced our standard of living, offering us comfort, convenience and efficiency. For example, digital transmission enables us to email abroad in a short while, but one or two decades ago it might have taken several weeks for a regular mail to be posted to the address in question. The popularity of the digital camera, with its powerful editing and memory, has made almost everyone into an amateur photographer .Nevertheless, just because of the convince and comfort, some people, especially the young, may become so reliant on those gadgets that they are reluctant to exert themselves in their life and stuffy. A case in point is the dramatic rise in the cases of digital hi-tech cheating on exams.To sum up, the digital technology is a double-edged sword. While we are enjoying the benefits digital products have brought about, we cannot ignore the side effects it may result in. In one word, it is necessary for us to make a sensible use of it.Part II. Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)1.A2.B3.C4.A5.D6.A7.D8.annual utility –bill savings 9.self-denial 10.the market itselfPart III. Listening Comprehension11-15 CBACB 16-20 DBCAB 21-25 ABDBC26-30 DCDAC 31-35 DBADB36.squarely 37.floating 38. Occasionally 39.dutifully 40.witty41. humorous 42. guilt 43. material44.the instructor is talking about road construction in ancient Rome and nothing could be more boring45.Y our bank expression and faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray you inattentiveness46.they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something complex or uninterestingPart IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)47.mother’s support net works 48.climb the corporate ladder 49.taken seriously50.from home//in a home office 51.stress52-56 CADBA57-61 CDBCDPart V Cloze62-66 CACBD 67-71 ADBAD72-76 BCADC 77-82 ACDBAPart VI Translation82.our communication could not have been so quickly///fast and convenient83.nothing can be more helpful than a sense of humor84.but he refused to give further explanation for doing so85.while animal behavior depends mainly on instinct86.sould he lie///tell lies to the court。
2007年12月大学英语六级考试真题Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section A11.[A] Proceed in his own way.[B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague.[D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13.[A] Wash the dishes.[B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha.[D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15.[A] A car dealer.[B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner.[D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.217. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] To protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.[A] In a studio.[B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort.[D] At a fashion show.20. [A] To live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British3company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with4students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively.[C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BPassage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.[A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.5[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.[A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CIf you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams.(38)__________ you come back to earth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while the6instructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. You have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)____________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)___________________.Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)__________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.7答案:听力11. C Compromise with his colleague.12. B Nancy regrets buying the dress.13. A Wash the dishes.14. C She is eager to share news with the woman.15. B A mechanic.16. D There isn't much business downtown nowadays.17. B The lounge is not a place for him tostudy in.18. C To prevent mosquito bites.19. A In a studio.20. B To stay there for half a year.21. A Designing fashion items for severalcompanies.22. B It has become much morecompetitive.23. D It enables her to understand peoplebetter.24. B Positively.25. C It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.26. D To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. C Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half. 28. D Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than by air.29. A In 1981.30. C The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.31. D A patient's expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. B The workings of the mind may help patients recover.33. A Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.34. D Doing daily routines.35. B A psychologist.36. squarely37. floating38. Occasionally39. dutifully40. witty41. humorous42. guilt43. material44. the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome, and nothing could be more boring45. Your blank expression, and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.46. they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something complex or interesting8。
Part I Writing (30 minutes)The digital age1. 如今,数字化产品越来越多,如…2. 使用数字化产品对于人们学习工作和生活的影响。
Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes)Seven way to Save the WorldForget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial—riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Ramer to cut costs at his family—owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about £100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his £90,000 fuel and power bill by £60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost—or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even George W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conservation in his State of the Union speech this week.The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact.InsulateSpace heat ing and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero-energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out (or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies ha ve shown that green workplaces (ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air-conditioner running) have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.Change BulbsLighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes onunwanted heat.Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLS, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year.Comfort ZoneWater boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer, the system can be reversed to cool buildings as well.Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market, including Japan, where almost I million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.Remake FactoriesFrom steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up ab out a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company £200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing (优化) energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage,”says BASF CEO Jurgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA quarter of the world’s energy---including two thirds of the annual production of oil —is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated (充气). Gasoline-electric hybrid(混合型的) models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances, producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption (and their utility bills) by 43 percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investments? “Energy service contractors”will pay for retrofitting(翻新改造)in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing. Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in r etrofitting China’s steel fu rnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investmentto install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace, slashing the client’s fuel costs. Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.If saving energy is so ea sy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential saving. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalists still push that view.Smart governments can help push t he market in the right direction. The EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new buildings are required to have an “energy pass” detailing powe r and heating consumption. Countries like Japan and Germany have successively tightened building codes, requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.1. What is said to be best way to conserve energy nowadays?A) Raising efficiency. B) Cutting unnecessary costs..C) Finding alternative resources. D) Sacrificing some personal comforts.2. What does the European Union plan to do?A) Diversify energy supply. B) Cut energy consumption. C) Reduce carbon emissions. D) Raise production Raise production efficiency.3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to _____________.A) improve your work environment B) cut your utility bills by halfC) get rid of air-conditioners D) enjoy much better health4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?A) A small portion. B) Some 40 percent. C) Almost half.D) 75 to 80 percent.5. Some countries have tried to jump-start the market of heat pumps by __________.A)upgrading the equipment B)encouraging investments C) implementing high-tech D)providing subsidies6. German chemicals giant BASF saves £200 million a year by ___________.A) recycling heat and energy B) setting up factories in ChinaC) using the newest technology D) reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if ___________.A) we increase the insulation of walls and water pipesB) We choose simpler models of electrical appliancesC) We cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goodsD) We choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients____________.9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with _____.10. The strongest incentives for energy conservation will derive from __________. Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section A11. A) Proceed in his own way. B) Stick to the original plan.C) Compromise with his colleague. D) Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. A) Mary has a keen eye for style. B) Nancy regrets buying the dress.C) Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome. D) Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. A) Wash the dishes. B) Go to the theatre.C) Pick up George and Martha. D) Take her daughter to hospital.14. A) She enjoys making up stories about other people. B) She can never keep anything to herself for long.C) She is eager to share news with the woman. D) She is the best informed woman in town.15. A) A car dealer. B) A mechanic C) A driving examiner. D) A technical consultant.16. A) The shopping mall has been deserted recently. B) Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.C) Lots of people moved out of the downtown area. D) There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. A) He will help the woman with her reading. B) The lounge is not a place for him to study in.C) He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study. D) A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. A) To protect her from getting scratches. B) To help relieve her of the pain.C) To prevent mosquito bites. D) To avoid getting sunburnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) In a studio. B) In a clothing store. C) At a beach resort D) At a fashion show20. A) To live there permanently. B) To stay there for half a year.C) To find a better job to support herself. D) To sell leather goods for a British company.21. A) Designing fashion items for several companies. B) Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.C) Working as an employee for Ferragamo. D) Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. A) It has seen a steady decline in its profits. B) It has become much more competitive.C) It has lost many customers to foreign companies. D) It has attracted lot more designers from abroad.23. A) It helps her to attract more public attention. B) It improves her chance of getting promoted.C) It strengthens her relationship with students. D) It enables her to understand people better.24. A) Passively. B) Positively. C) Skeptically. D) Sensitively.25. A) It keeps haunting her day and night. B) Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.C) It vanishes the moment she steps into her role. D) Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BPassage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. A) To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.B) To reform railroad management in western European countries.C) To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.D) To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. A) Major European airliner will go bankrupt.B) Europeans will pay much less for traveling.C) Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.D) Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. A) Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.B) Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.C) Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.D) Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. A) In 1981. B) In 1989. C) In 1990. D) In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.B) Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.C) The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.D) There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31. A) A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.B) Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.C) One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.D) A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. A) Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.B) The workings of the mind may help patients recover.C) Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.D) Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) Enjoying strong feelings and emotions. B) Defying all dangers when they have to.C) Being fond of making sensational news. D) Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. A) Working in an emergency room. B) Watching horror movies.C) Listening to rock music. D) Doing daily routines.35. A) A rock climber. B) A psychologist. C) A resident doctor. D)A career consultant.Section CIf you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake list ening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37) _______ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams.(38) ________ you come back to earth: the instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39) _______ copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40) _________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41) ___________. You have a vague sense of (42) ___________ that you aren’t paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any (43) ________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44) _______________________. So bac k you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45) ________________________. Even if you’re not exposed, there’s another reason to avoid fakery; it’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46) _________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)Section AQuestions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Men, these days, are embracing fatherhood with the round-the-clock involvement their partners have always dreamed of –handling night feedings, packing lunches and bandaging knees. But unlike women, many find they’re negotiating their new roles with little support or information. “Men in my generation (aged 25-40) have a fear of becoming dads because we have no role models,”says Jon Smith, a writer. They often find themselves excluded from mothers’support networks, and are eyed warily (警觉地) on the playground.The challenge is particularly evident in the work—place. There, men are still expected to be breadwinners climbing the corporate ladder; traditionally-minded bosses are often unsympathetic to family needs. In Denmark most new fathers only take two weeks of paternity leave (父亲的陪产假)—even though they are allowed 34 days. As much as if not more so than women, fathers struggle to be taken seriously when they request flexible arrangements.Though Wilfried-Fritz Maring, 54, a data-bank and Internet specialist with German firm FIZ Karlsruhe, feels that the time he spends with his daughter outweighs any disadvantages, he admits, “With my decision to work from home I dismissed any opportunity for promotion.”Mind-sets (思维定势) are changing gradually. When Maring had a daughter, the company equipped him with a home office and allowed him to choose a job that could be performed from there. Danish telecom company TDC initiated an internal campaign last year to encourage dads to take paternity leave: 97 percent now do. “When an employee goes on paternity leave and is with his kids, he gets a new kind of training: in how to keep c ool under stress,” says spokesperson Christine Elberg Holm. For a new generation of dads, kids may come before the company –but it’s a shift that benefits both.47. Unlike women, men often get little support or information from ______________.48. Besides supporting the family, men were also expected to ________.49. Like women, men hope that their desire for a flexible schedule will be _____________.50. When Maring was on paternity leave, he was allowed by his company to work___________.51. Christine Holm believes paternity leave provides a new kind of training for men in that it can help them cope with _____________.Section BPassage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Like most people, I’ve long understood that I will be judge d by my occupation, that my profession is a gauge people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person. Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people. I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they’d never say or do to their most casual acquaintances. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then beckoned (示意) me back with his finger a minute later, complaining he was ready to order and asking where I’dbeen.I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon(勤杂工) by plenty of people. But at 19 years old. I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked-cordially.I soon found out differently, I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.My job title made people treat me with courtesy. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortuna tely, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to cater to others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.52. The author was disappointed to find that ___________________.A) one’s position is used as a gauge to measure one’s intelligence.B) talented people like her should fail to get a respectable jobC) one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a personD) professionals tend to look down upon manual workers53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?A) Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.B) People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.C) Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.D) Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all.54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?A) She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professionals.B) She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.C) She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.D) She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.55. What does the author imply by sayin g “…many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant” (Lines 3-4, Para.7)?A) Those who cater to others’ needs are destined to be looked down upon.B) Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.C) Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.D) The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as a server nowadays.56. The author says she’ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to _______.A) see what kind of person they are B) experience the feeling of being servedC)show her generosity towards people inferior to her D)arouse their sympathy for people living a humble lifePassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.What’s hot for 2007 among the very rich? A S7.3 million diamond ring. A trip to Tanzania to hunt wild animals. Oh. and income inequality.Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality for years. But increasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are starting to worry about income inequality and the fate of the middle class.In December. Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S News & World Report, which he owns. “Our nation’s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,”lamented (哀叹) the 117th-richest man in America. “Most of our economic gains have gone to people at the very top of the income ladder. Average income for a household of people of working age, by contrast, has fallen five years in a row.” He no ted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fear that a major health problem can reduce them to bankruptcy.”Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman’s anger over the bitter struggles faced by middle-classAmericans. “It’s an outrage that any American’s li fe expectancy should be shortened simply because the company they worked for went bankrupt and ended health-care coverage,” said the former chairman of the International Steel Group.What’s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, popularity of measures like increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by California’ governor to offer universal health care, these guys don’t need their own persona l weathermen to know which way the wind blows.It’s possible that plutocrats(有钱有势的人) are expressing solidarity with the struggling middle class as part of an effort to insulate themselves from confiscatory (没收性的) tax policies. But the prospect that income inequality will lead to higher taxes on the wea lthy doesn’t keep plutocrats up at night. They can live with that. No, what they fear was that the political challenges of sustaining support for global economic integration will be more difficult in the United States because of what has happened to the distribution of income and economic insecurity.In other words, if middle-class Americans continue to struggle financially as the ultrawealthy grow ever wealthier, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain political support for the free flow of goods, services, and capital across borders. And when the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreign goods, it’s likely to encourage reciprocal action abroad. For people who buy and sell companies, or who allocate capital to markets all around the world, that’s the real nightmare.57. What is the current topic of common interest among the very rich in America?A) The fate of the ultrawealthy people. B) The disintegration of the middle class.C) The inequality in the distribution of wealth. D) The conflict between the left and the right wing.58. What do we learn from Mortimer Zuckerman’s lamentation?A) Many middle-income families have failed to make a bargain for better welfare.B) The American economic system has caused many companies to go bankrupt.C) The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth.D) The majority of Americans benefit little from the nation’s growing wealth.59. From the fifth paragraph we can learn that ____________.A) the very rich are fashion-consciousB) the very rich are politically sensitiveC) universal health care is to be implemented throughout AmericaD) Congress has gained popularity by increasing the minimum wage60. What is the real reason for plutocrats to express solidarity with the middle class?A) They want to protect themselves from confiscatory taxation.B) They know that the middle class contributes most to society.C) They want to gain support for global economic integration.D) They feel increasingly threatened by economic insecurity.61. What may happen if the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreign goods?A) The prices of imported goods will inevitably soar beyond control.B) The investors will have to make great efforts to re-allocate capital.C) The wealthy will attempt to buy foreign companies across borders.D) Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return.Part V Cloze (15 minutes)In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Gattingen to give some lectures at the invitation of the mathematical physicist David Hilbert. He was particularly eager—too eager, it would turn 62 --to explain all the intricacies of relativity to him. The visit was a triumph, and he said to a friend excitedly. “I was able to 63 Hilbert of the general theory of relativity.”64 all of Einstein’s personal turmoil (焦躁) at the time, a new scientific anxiety was about to 65 . He was struggling to find the right equations that would 66 his new concept of gravity, 67that would define how objects move 68 space and how space is curved by objects. By the end of the summer, he 69 the mathematical approach he had been 70 for almost three years was flawed. And now there was a 71 pressure. Einstein discovered to his 72 that Hilbert had taken what he had lectures and was racing to come up 73 the correct equations first.It was an enormously complex task. Although Einstein was the better physicist. Hilbert was the better mathematician. So in October 1915 Einstein 74 himself into a month-long-frantic endeavor in 75 he returned to an earlier mathematical strategy and wrestled with equations, proofs, corrections and updates that he 76 to give as。
2007年12月Cet-6听力原文、答案与详解Listening ComprehensionSECTION A8 short conversations11. A) Proceed in his own way.B) Stick to the original plan.C) Compromise with his colleague.D) Try to change his colleague’s mind.答案:CM: The biological project is now in trouble, you know; my colleague and I have completely different ideas about how to proceed.W: Why don’t you compromise (让步,妥协)?Try to make it a win-win situation (双赢) for you both.Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?12. A) Many has a keen eye for style.B) Nancy regrets buying the dress.C) Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.D) Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.答案:BM: How does Nancy like the new dress she bought in Rome?W: She said she would never have bought an Italian style dress if she had known Mary had already got such a dress.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?13. A) Wash the dishes.B) Go to the theatre.C) Pick up George and Martha.D) Take her daughter to hospital.答案:AM: You are not going to do all those dishes before we leave, are you? If we don’t pick up(开车接) George and Martha in 25 minutes, we’ll never get to the theater on time.W: Oh, d idn’t I tell you Martha called to say her daughter was ill and they could not got tonight?Q: What is the woman probably going to do first?14. A) She enjoys making up stories about other people.B) She can never keep anything to herself for long.C) She is eager to share news with the woman.D) She is the best informed woman in town.答案:CM: You’ve been hang ing on to the phone (打电话不挂断) for quite a while. Whowere you talking with?W: Oh, it was Sally. You know, she always has the latest news in town and can’t wait to talk it over with me.Q: What do we learn about Sally from the conversation?15. A) A car dealer.B) A mechanic(n.技工,机修工).C) A driving examiner.D) A technical consultant.答案:AW: It’s always been hard to get this car into first gear(挂一档),and now the clutch(离合器) seems to be slip ping(滑).M: If you leave the car with me, I will fix it for you this afternoon.Q: Who is the woman probably speaking to?16. A) The shopping mall has been deserted recently.B) Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.C) Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.D) There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.答案:BM: Kate, why does the downtown area look deserted(adj.(地方)无人居住的;空寂无人的; 被抛弃的; 被遗弃的)now?W: Well, there used to be some really good stores, but lots of them moved out to the mall.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?17. A) He will help the woman with her reading.B) The lounge is not a place for him to study in.C) He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.D) A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.答案:CW: I find the lounge(n.客厅;休息厅;(机场等的)等候室)such a cozy place to study in. I really like the feeling of sitting on the sofa and doing the reading.M: Well, for me the hardest part about studying here is staying awake.Q: What does the man mean?18. A) To protect her from getting scratches.B) To help relieve her of the pain.C) To prevent mosquito bites.D) To avoid getting sun burnt.答案:CW: There mosquito bites are killing me. I can’t help scratch ing(vt.在…处搔痒). M: Next time you go camping, take some precaution, say, wearing long sleeves.Q: Why does the man suggest the woman wear long sleeves?2 long conversationsConversation 1M: Hello, and welcome to our program, “Working Abroad”. Our guest this evening isa Londoner, who lives and works in Italy, Her name’s Susan Hill. Susan,welcome to the program (19). You live in Florence, how long have you been living there?W: Since 1982. But when I went there in 1982, I planned to stay for only 6 months(20).M: Why did you change your mind?W: Well, I’m a designer; I design leather goods, mainly shoes and handbags. Soon after I arrived in Flo rence, I got a job with one of Italy’s top fashion houses, Ferragamo(国际知名品牌“菲拉格慕”是意大利的女鞋品牌,1927年诞生).So, I decided to stay.M: How lucky! Do you still work for Ferragamo?W: No, I’ve been a freelance designer for quite a long time now, since 1988, in fa ct.(21)M: So does that mean you design for several different companies now?W: Yes, that’s right. I’ve designed many fashion items for a number of Italian companies, and in the last four years, I’ve also been designing for the British company, Burberry s((品牌)巴宝莉;burberry n.雨衣,防水棉布). (21) M: What have you been designing for them?W: Mostly handbags and small leather goods.M: How’s the fashion industry in Italy changed since 1982?W: oh, yes. It’s become a lot more competitive (22). Because the quality of products from other countries has improved a lot. But Italian quality and design is still world-famous.M: And do you ever think of returning to live in England?W: No, not really. Working in Italy is more interesting. I also love the Mediterranean sun and the Italian life style.M: Well, thank you for talking to us, Susan.W: It was a pleasure.19. Where does this talk most probably take place?A) In a studio(n.工作室,画室; [影] 演播室).B) In a clothing store.C) At a beach resort.D) At a fashion show.答案:A20. What was the woman’s original plan when she went to Florence?A) To live there permanently.B) To stay there for half a year.C) To find a better job to support herself.D) To sell leather goods for a British company.答案:B21. What has the woman been doing for a living since 1988?A) Designing fashion items for several companies.B) Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.C) Working as an employee for Ferragamo.D) Serving as a sales agent(销售代理商,代销商,经销人)for Burberrys.答案:A22. What do we learn about the change in Italy’s fashion industry?A) It has seen a steady decline in its profits.B) It has become much more competitive.C) It has lost many customers to foreign companies.D) It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.答案:BConversation 2M: So, Claire, you’re into(be into sth.【口】给迷住,对…深感兴趣,深深卷入)drama?W: Yes, I have a master’s degree in Drama and Theatre. At the moment, I’m hoping to get onto a Ph.D. Program.M: What excites you about drama?W: Well, I find it’s a communicative way to study people and you learn how to read people in drama. So usually I can understand what people are saying, even though they might be lying. (23)M: That would be useful.W: Yeah, it’s very useful for me as well. I’m an English lectu rer, so use a lot for drama in my classes, such as role plays. And I ask my students to create mini-dramas. They really respond well. (24)At the moment, I’m hoping to get onto a Ph. D. course. I would like to concentrate on Asian drama and try to bring Asian theatre to the world’s attention. I don’t know how successful I would be, but, here’s hoping.M: Oh, I’m sure you’ll be successful. Now, Claire, what do you do for stage fright (n.怯场)?W: Ah, stage fright! Well, many actors have that problem. Get stage fright every time I’m going to teach a new class. The night before, I usually can’t sleep.M: What? For teaching?W: Yes. I get really bad stage fright. But the minute I step into the classroom or get onto the stage, it just all fall s into place(变得有条不紊,开始有头绪;水到渠成). Then I just feel like: Yeah, this is what I mean to do. And I’m fine (25).M: Wow, that’s cool!23. Why does the woman find study in drama and theatre useful?A) It helps her to attract more public attention.B) It improves her chance of getting promoted.C) It strengthens her relationship with students.D) It enables her to understand people better.答案:D24. How did the woman’s students respond to her way of teaching Engl ish?A) Passively.B) Positively.C) Skeptically(adv. 怀疑地).D) Sensitively.答案:B25. What does the woman say about her stage fright?A) It keeps haunting her day and night.B) Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.C) It vanish es(vi.消失; 突然不见; 消亡,消灭)the moment she steps intoher role.D) Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.答案:CSECTION BpassagesPassage oneIn January 1989, the Community of European Railways presented their proposal for a high speed pan-European(加上前缀词pan,在中文里常译作“泛欧”;作为一个整体,“泛欧”概念用来指代整个欧洲经济、政治事务,目前来讲通常指的是欧盟国家。
2007年12月大学英语六级听力真题和答案解析及听力原文2007年12月大学英语六级真题Part ⅢListening Comprehension (35 minutes)本题Section A&B共计25分,每小题1分。
Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversation. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A),B),C) and D),and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11.A) Proceed in his own way.B) Stick to the original plan.C) Compromise with his colleague.D) Try to change his colleague’s mind.12.A) Mary has a keen eye for style.B) Nancy regrets buying the dress.C) Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.D) Nancy and Mary like to follow the fashion.13.A) Wash the dishes.B) Go to the theatre.C) Pick up George and Martha.D) Take her daughter to hospital.14.A) She enjoys making up stories about other people.B) She can never keep anything to herself for long.C) She is eager to share news with the woman.D) She is the best informed woman in town.15.A) A car dealer.B) A mechanic.C) A driving examiner.D) A technical consultant.16.A) The shopping mall has been deserted recently.B) Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.C) Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.D) There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17.A) He will help the woman with her reading.B) The lounge is not a place for him to study in.C) He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.D) A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18.A) To protect her from getting scratches.B) To help relieve her of the pain.C) To prevent mosquito bites.D) To avoid getting sunburnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19.A) In a studio.B) In a clothing store.C) At a beach resort.D) At a fashion show.20.A) To live there permanently.B) To stay there for half a year.C) To find a better job to support herself.D) To sell leather goods for a British company.21.A) Designing fashion items for several companies.B) Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.C) Working as an employee for Ferragamo.D) Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22.A) It has seen a steady decline in its profits.B) It has become much more competitive.C) It has lost many customers to foreign companies.D) It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23.A) It helps her to attract more public attention.B) It improves her chance of getting promoted.C) It strengthens her relationship with students.D) It enables her to understand people better.24.A) Passively.B) Positively.C) Skeptically.D) Sensitively.25.A) It keeps haunting her day and night.B) Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.C) It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.D) Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you willhear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26.A) To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.B) To reform railroad management in western European countries.C) To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.D) To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27.A) Major European airlines will go bankrupt.B) Europeans will pay much less for traveling.C) Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.D) Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28.A) Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.B) Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.C) Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.D) Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than,by air.29.A) In 1981.B) In 1989.C) In 1990.D) In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.A) There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.B) Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.C) The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.D) There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.A) A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.B) Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.C) One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.D) A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32.A) Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.B) The workings of the mind may help patients recover.C) Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.D) Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33.A) Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.B) Defying all dangers when they have to.C) Being fond of making sensational news.D) Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34.A) Working in an emergency room.B) Watching horror movies.C) Listening to rock music.D) Doing daily routines.35.A) A rock climber.B) A psychologist.C) A resident doctor.D) A career consultant.Section C Compound DictationDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should checkwhat you have written.If you’re like most people, you’re indulged in fake list ening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36)______ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)______ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)______ you come back to earth: the instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)______ copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)______ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly(41)______. You have a vague sense of (42)______ that you aren’t paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any (43)______ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)___________________________. So back you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)________________________________.Even if you’re not exposed, there’s another reason to avoid fakery: it’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)________________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information. 答案:Part ⅢListening Comprehension (35 minutes)11.M:The biological project is now in trouble. You know my colleague and I have completely different ideas abouthow to proceed.W:Why don’t you compromise? Try to make i t a win-win situation for you both.Q:What does the woman suggest the man do?[答案]C)。
英语听⼒频道为⼤家整理的2007年12⽉英语六级听⼒真题,供⼤家参考:) Ⅲ Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)本题Section A&B共计25分,每⼩题1分。
Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversation. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A),B),C) and D),and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre .11. A) Proceed in his own way. B) Stick to the original plan.C) Compromise with his colleague.D) Try to change his colleague’s mind.12.A) Mary has a keen eye for style.B) Nancy regrets buying the dress.C) Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.D) Nancy and Mary like to follow the fashion.13. A) Wash the dishes.B) Go to the theatre. C) Pick up George and Martha. D) Take her daughter to hospital.14. A) She enjoys making up stories about other people.B) She can never keep anything to herself for long. C) She is eager to share news with the woman.D) She is the best informed woman in town.15. A) A car dealer.B) A mechanic.C) A driving examiner.D) A technical consultant.16.A) The shopping mall has been deserted recently.B) Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.C) Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.D) There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17.A) He will help the woman with her reading.B) The lounge is not a place for him to study in.C) He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.D) A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. A) To protect her from getting scratches.B) To help relieve her of the pain.C) To prevent mosquito bites.D) To avoid getting sunburnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. A) In a studio.B) In a clothing store.C) At a beach resort. D) At a fashion show.20. A) To live there permanently.B) To stay there for half a year.C) To find a better job to support herself.D) To sell leather goods for a British company.21. A) Designing fashion items for several companies.B) Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.C) Working as an employee for Ferragamo.D) Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. A) It has seen a steady decline in its profits.B) It has become much more competitive.C) It has lost many customers to foreign companies.D) It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. A) It helps her to attract more public attention.B) It improves her chance of getting promoted.C) It strengthens her relationship with students.D) It enables her to understand people better.24. A) Passively.B) Positively.C) Skeptically.D) Sensitively.25. A) It keeps haunting her day and night.B) Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.C) It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.D) Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26.A) To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.B) To reform railroad management in western European countries.C) To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.D) To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. A) Major European airlines will go bankrupt.B) Europeans will pay much less for traveling.C) Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.D) Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. A) Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.B) Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.C) Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.D) Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than,by air.29. A) In 1981.B) In 1989.C) In 1990.D) In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. A) There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.B) Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.C) The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.D) There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31. A) A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.B) Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.C) One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.D) A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. A) Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.B) The workings of the mind may help patients recover.C) Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.D) Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. A) Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.B) Defying all dangers when they have to.C) Being fond of making sensational news.D) Dreaming of becoming famous one day34.A) Working in an emergency room.B) Watching horror movies.C) Listening to rock music.D) Doing daily routines.35. A) A rock climber. B) A psychologist.C) A resident doctor.D) A career consultant.Section C Directions:In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’re indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36)______ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)______ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)______ you come back to earth: the instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)______ copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)______ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)______. You have a vague sense of(42)______ that you aren’t paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any (43)______ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)___________________________. So back you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test. Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)________________________________. Even if you’re not exposed, there’s another reason to avoid fakery: it’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)________________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information。
2007年12月英语六级真题听力原文Section A 短对话(11~18)Short Conversations11.M: The biological project is now in trouble. You know, my colleague and I have completely different ideas about how to proceed.W: Why don’t you compromise? Try to make it a win-win situation for you both.Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?12.M: How does Nancy like the new dress she bought in Rome?W: She said she would never have bought an Italian style dress if she had known Mary had already got such a dress.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?13.M: You are not going to do all those dishes before we leave, are you? If we don’t pick up George and Martha in 25 minutes, we’ll never get to the theater on time.W: Oh, didn’t I tell you? Martha called to say her daughter was ill and they could not go tonight.Q: What is the woman probably going to do first?14.M: You’ve been hanging onto the phone for quite a while. Who were you talking with?W: Oh, it was Sally. You know she always has the latest news i n town and can’t wait to talk it over with me.Q: What do we know about Sally from the conversation?15:W: It’s always been hard to get this car into first gear and now the clutch seems to be sleeping.M: If you leave the car with me, I’ll fix it for you this afternoon.Q: Who is the woman probably speaking to?16.M: Kate, why does the downtown area look deserted now?W: Well, there used to be some really good stores, but lots of them moved out to the mall.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?17.W: I find the lounge such a cozy place to study in. I really like the feeling when sitting on the sofa and doing the reading.M: Well for me the hardest part about studying here is staying awake.Q: What does the man mean?18:W: These mosquito bites are killing me. I can’t help scratching.M: Next time you go camping, take some precaution, say, wearing long sleeves.Q: Why does the man suggest the woman wear long sleeves?Long ConversationsConversation 1M: Hello and welcome to our program “Working Abroad”. Our guest this evening is a Londoner who lives and works in Italy. Her name is Susan Hill. Susan, welcome to the program. You live in Florence. How long have you been living there?W: Since 1982, but when I went there in 1982, I planned to stay for only 6 months.M: Why did you change your mind?W: Well, I’m a designer. I design leather goods, mainly shoes and handbags. Soon after I arrived in Florence, I got a job with one of Italy’s top fashion houses, Ferragamo. So I decided to stay.M: How lucky! Do you still work for Ferragamo?W: No, I’ve been a freelance designer for quite a long time now. Since 1988, in fact.M: So, does that mean you design for several different companies now?W: Yes, that’s right. I’ve desig ned many fashion items for a number of Italian companies. And in the last 4 years, I’ve also been designing for the British company, Burberrys.M: What have you been designing for them?W: Mostly handbags and small leather goods.M: How has fashion industry in Italy changed since 1982?W: Oh, yes, it has become a lot more competitive, because the quality of products from other countries has improved a lot, but Italian quality and design is still world famous.M: And do you ever think of returning to live in England?W: No, not really. Working in Italy is more interesting, I also love the Mediterranean sun and the Italian life style.M: Well, thank you for talking to us, Susan.W: It was a pleasure.19. Where does this talk most probably take place?20. What was the woman’s original plan when she went to Florence?21. What has the woman been doing for a living since 1988?22. What do we learn about the change in Italy’s fashion industry?Conversation 2M: So, Claire, you are into drama.W: Ye s, I’ve a master’s degree in Drama and Theater. At the moment I am hoping to get onto a PHD program.M: What excites you about drama?W: I find it’s a communicative way to study people and you learn how to read people in drama. So usually I can understand what people are saying, even though they might be lying.M: That would be useful.W: Yeah, it’s very useful for me as well. I am an English lecturer, so I use a lot of drama in my classes, such as role-plays. And I ask my students to create mini-dramas. They really respond well. At the moment I am hoping to get onto a PHD course. I would like to concentrate on Asian drama and try to bring Asian theater to the world attention. I don’t know how successful I will be, but here is hoping.M: Oh, I’m sure you will be successful. Now, Claire, what do you do for stage fright?W: Ah, stage fright. Well, many actors have that problem. I get stage fright every time I am going to teach a new class. The night before, I usually can’t sleep.M: What? For teaching?W: Yes! I get really bad stage fright, but the minute I step into the classroom or get onto the stage, it just all falls into place. Then I just feel like “Yeah, this is what I mean to do.” and I am fine.M: Well, that’ cool.23. Why does woman find studying drama and theatre useful?24. How did the woman student respond to her way of teaching English?25. What does the woman say about her stage fright?Section B Short PassagesPassage OneIn January 1989, the Community of European Railways presented their proposal for a high speed pan-European train network, extending from Sweden to Sicily and from Portugal to Poland by the year 2020. If their proposal becomes a reality, it will revolutionize train travel in Europe.Journeys between major cities will take half the time they take today. Brussels will be only one and half hours from Paris. The quickest way to get from Paris to Frankfurt, from Barcelona to Madrid will be by train, not plane.When the network is complete, it will integrate three types of railway line, totally new high-speed lines, with trains operating its speeds of 300kms per hour; upgraded lines, which allow for speeds up to 200 to 225 kms per hour and existing lines, for local connections and distribution of freight. If business people can choose between a 3-hour train journey from city center to city center and 1-hour flight, they'll choose the train, said an executive travel consultant. They won't go by plane anymore. If you calculate flight time, check in and travel to and from t he airport, you’ll find almost no difference and if your plane arrives late due to bad weather or air traffic jams or strikes, then the train passengers will arrive at their destination first.Since France introduced the first 260-km per hour high speed train service between Paris and Lyons in 1981, the trains have achieved higher and higher speeds. On many routes, airlines have lost up to 90 percent of their passengers to high speed trains. If people accept the community of European Railways’ plan, the 21st century will be the new age of the train.Questions 26-29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. What is the proposal presented by the Community of the European Railways?27. What will happen when the proposal becomes a reality?28. Why will business people prefer a 3-hour train journey to a 1-hour flight?29. When did France introduce the first high speed train service?Passage TwoWestern doctors are beginning to understand what traditional healers have always known that the body and the mind are inseparable. Until recently, modern urban physicians heal the body, psychiatrists the mind and priests the soul. However, the medical world is now paying moreattention to holistic medicine, which is an approach based on a belief that people’s state of mind can make them sick or speed the recovery from sickness.Several studies show that the effectiveness of a certain drug often depends on the patients expectations of it. For example, in one recent study, psychiatrists at a major hospital try to see how patients could be made calm. They divided them into two groups; one group was given a drug while the other group received a harmless substance instead of medicine without their knowledge. Surprisingly, more patients in the second group showed the desired effects than those in the first group.In study after study, there is a positive reaction in almost one third of the patients taking harmless substances. How is this possible? How can such a substance have an effect on the body? Evidence from a 1997 study at the University of California shows that several patients who receive such substances were able to produce their own natural drug, that is, as they took the substance, their brains released natural chemicals that act like a drug. Scientists theorize that the amount of these chemicals released by a person’s brain quite possibly indicates how much faith the person has in his or her doctor.Questions 30-32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. According to the speaker, what are western doctors beginning to understand?31. What does the recent study at a major hospital seem to prove?32. What evidence does the 1997 study of the University of California produce?Passage ThreeSo we’ve already talked a bit about the growth of ex treme sports like rock-climbing. As psychologists, we need to ask ourselves “Why is this person doing this?”, “Why do people take these risks and put themselves in danger when they don’t have to?” One common trait among risk-takers is that they enjoy stron g feelings or sensations. We call this trait “sensation seeking”.A sensation-seeker is someone who is always looking for new sensations. What else do we know about sensation seekers? Well, as I said, sensation-seekers like strong emotions. You can see thistrait in many parts of a person’s life not just in extreme sports. For example, many sensation seekers enjoy hard rock music. They like the loud sound and strong emotions of the songs. Similarly, sensation-seekers enjoy frightening horror movies. They like the feeling of being scared and horrified while watching the movie. This feeling is even stronger for extreme sports where the person faces real danger. Sensation-seekers feel that danger is really exciting. In addition, sensation-seekers like new experiences that force them to push their personal limits. For them, repeating the same things everyday is boring. Many sensation-seekers choose jobs that involve risk, such as starting a new business or being an Emergency Room doctor. These jobs are different everyday, so they never know what will happen. That’s why many sensation-seekers also like extreme sports. When you do rock-climbing, you never know what will happen. The activity is always new and different.Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage y ou’ve just heard.33. According to the speaker, what is a common trait among risk-takers?34. What do sensation-seekers find boring?35. What is the speaker’s profession?Section CCompound DictationIf you are like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sitting in the third row, and look squarely at the instructor as she speaks, but your mind is far away, floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. Occasionally, you come back to earth. The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard and you dutifully copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a witty remark causing others in the class to laugh; you smile politely, preten ding that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly humorous. You have a vague sense of guilt that you aren’t paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any material you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, the instructor is talk ing about road construction in ancient Rome and nothing could be more boring. So back you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test. Fakelistening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you are merely pretending to listen. Your blank expression and far-away look in your eyes are the cues that betray your inattentiveness. Even if you are not exposed, there is another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply-rooted that they automatically start daydreaming when the speaker begins talking on something complex or uninteresting. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.2007年12月英语六级真题Listening Comprehension11. [A] Proceed in his own way. [B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague. [D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. [A] Wash the dishes. [B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha. [D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15. [A] A car dealer. [B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner. [D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] To protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] In a studio. [B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort. [D] At a fashion show.20. [A] To live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively. [C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. [A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31. [A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)__________ you come back toearth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. You have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)______________________________________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely preten ding to listen. (45)___________________________________________________.Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that(46)________________________________________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.2007年12月英语六级答案Listening Comprehension11. C Compromise with his colleague.12. B Nancy regrets buying the dress.13. A Wash the dishes.14. C She is eager to share news with the woman.15. B A mechanic.16. D There isn't much business downtown nowadays.17. B The lounge is not a place for him to study in.18. C To prevent mosquito bites.19. A In a studio.20. B To stay there for half a year.21. A Designing fashion items for several companies.22. B It has become much more competitive.23. D It enables her to understand people better.24. B Positively.25. C It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.26. D To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. C Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.28. D Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than by air.29. A In 1981.30. C The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.31. D A patient's expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. B The workings of the mind may help patients recover.33. A Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.34. D Doing daily routines.35. B A psychologist.36. squarely37. floating38. Occasionally39. dutifully40. witty41. humorous42. guilt43. material44. the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome, and nothing could be more boring45. Your blank expression, and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.46. they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something complex or interesting。
2007年12月英语六级阅读真题62. C 63.A 64.C 65.B 66.D 67.A 68.D 69.B 70.A 71.D 72.B 73.C 74.A 75.D 76.C 77.A 78.C 79.D 80.B 81.A Part VI Translation83. noting can be more helpful than a sense of humor84. but he refused to give further explanation for doing so85. while animal behavior depends mainly on instinct86. should he lie /tell lies to the court2007年12月英语六级阅读真题Part V Cloze (15 minutes)In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Gattingen to give some lectures at the invitation of the mathematical physicist David Hilbert. He was particularly eager—too eager, it would turn 62 --to explain all the intricacies of relativity to him. The visit was a triumph, and he said to a friend excitedly. “I was able to 63 Hilbert of the general theory of relativity.”64 all of Einstein’s personal turmoil (焦躁) at the time, a new scientific anxiety was about to 65 . He was struggling to find the right equations that would 66 his new concept of gravity, 67that would define how objects move 68 space and how space is curved by objects. By the end of the summer, he 69 the mathematical approach he had been 70 for almost three years was flawed. And now there was a 71 pressure. Einstein discovered to his 72 that Hilbert had taken what he had lectures and was racing to come up 73 the correct equations first.It was an enormously complex task. Although Einstein was the better physicist. Hilbert was the better mathematician. So in October 1915 Einstein 74 himself into a month-long-frantic endeavor in 75 he returned to an earlier mathematical strategy and wrestled with equations, proofs, corrections and updates that he 76 to give as lectures to Berlin’s Prussian Academy of Sciences on four 77 Thursdays.His first lecture was delivered on Nov.4.1915, and it explained his new approach, 78 he admitted he did not yet have the precise mathematical formulation of it. Einstein also took time off from 79 revising his equations to engage in an awkward fandango (方丹戈双人舞) with his competitor Hilbert. Worried 80 being scooped (抢先), he sent Hilbert a copy of his Nov.4 lecture. “I am 81 to know whether you will take kindly to this new solution,” Einstein noted with a touch of defensiveness.62. A) up B) over C) out D) off63. A) convince B) counsel C) persuade D) preach64. A) Above B) Around C) Amid D) Along65. A) emit B) emerge C) submit D) submerge66. A) imitate B) ignite C) describe D) ascribe67. A) ones B) those C) all D) none68. A) into B) beyond C) among D) through69. A) resolved B) realized C) accepted D) assured70. A) pursuing B) protecting C) contesting D) contending71. A) complex B) compatible C) comparative D) competitive72. A) humor B) horror C) excitement D) extinction73. A) to B) for C) with D) against74. A) thre w B) thrust C) huddled D) hopped75. A) how B) that C) what D) which76. A) dashed B) darted C) rushe d D) reeled77. A) successive B) progressive C) extensive D) repetitive78. A) so B) since C) though D) because79. A) casually B) coarsely C) violently D) furiously80. A) after B) about C) on D) in81. A) curious B) conscious C) ambitious D) ambiguousPart VI Translation (5 minutes)82. But for mobile phone, ___________________(我们的通信就不可能如此迅速和方便)。
2007年12月大学英语六级考试真题Part I Writing (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Digital Age.You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1. 如今数字化产品得到越来越广泛的使用,并举例2. 数字化产品的使用对人工作,学习,生活产生的影响Digital Age________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D].For questions 8 -10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Seven Ways to Save the WorldForget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial — riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same — or better — results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Rǒmer to cut cost costs at his family-owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about € 100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his € 90,000 fuel and power bill by € 60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost —or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even George W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conversation in his State of the Union speech this week.The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact:InsulateSpace heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero-energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out (or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces (ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air-conditioner running) have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.Change BulbsLighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs — a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Comfort ZoneWater boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer, the system can be reversed to cool building as well.Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.Remake FactoriesFrom steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opport unities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company € 200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing(优化) energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage, ” says BASF CEO Jǔrgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA quarter of the world’s energy —including two thirds of the annual production of oil —is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated (充气). Gasoline-electric hybrid (混合型) models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances,producing a fifth of the wor ld’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption and their utility bills by 43 percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investment?“Energy service contractors” will pay for retrofitting (翻折改造) in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting China’s steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace,slashing the client’s fuel costs . Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landl ord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalists still push that view.Smart governments can help push the market in the right direction. The EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new buildings are required to have an “energy pass” detailing power and heating consumption. Countries likeJapan and Germany have successively tightened building codes, requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays?[A] Raising efficiently. [B] Cutting unnecessary costs.[C] Finding alternative resources [D] Sacrificing some personal comforts.2. What does the European Union plan to do?[A] Diversify energy supply. [B] Cut energy consumption.[C] Reduce carbon emissions. [D] Raise production efficiency.3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to _______.[A] improve your work environment [B] cut your utility bills by half.[C] get rid of air-conditioners [D] enjoy much better health4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?[A] A small portion. [B] Some 40 percent[C] Almost half. [D] 75 to 80 percent.5. Some countries have tired to jump-start the market of heat pumps by_________.[A] upgrading the equipment [B] encouraging investments[C] implementing high-tech [D] providing subsidies6. German chemicals giant BASF saves € 200 million a year by_________.[A] recycling heat and energy [B] setting up factories in China[C] using the newest technology [D] reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if________.[A] we increase the insulation of walls and water pipes[B] we choose simpler models of electrical appliances[C] we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goods[D] we choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’__________.9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with___________.10. The strongest incentive energy conservation will drive from_____________.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. [A] Proceed in his own way. [B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague. [D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. [A] Wash the dishes. [B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha. [D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15. [A] A car dealer. [B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner. [D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] To protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] In a studio. [B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort. [D] At a fashion show.20. [A] To live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively. [C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.[A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.[A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)__________ you come back to earth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. You have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)____________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)___________________.Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)__________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)(25 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Men, these days, are embracing fatherhood with the round-the-clock involvement their partners have always dreamed of —handling night feedings, packing lunches and bandaging knees. But unlike women, many find they’re negotiating their new roles with little support or information. “Men in my generation (aged 25-40) have a fear of becoming dads because we have no role models,” says Jon Smith, a writer. They often find themselves excluded from mothers’ support networks, and are eyed warily (警觉地) on the playground.The challenge is particularly evident in the work-place. There, men are still expected to bebreadwinners climbing the corporate ladder: traditionally-minded bosses are often unsympathetic to family needs. In Denmark most new fathers only take two weeks of paternity leave (父亲的陪产假) — even though they are allowed 34 days. As much as if not more so than women, fathers struggle to be taken seriously when they request flexible arrangements.Though Wilfried-Fritz Maring, 54, a data-bank and Internet specialist with German firm FIZKarlsruhe, feels that the time he spends with his daughter outweighs any disadvantages, he admits, “With my decision to work from home I dismissed any opportunity for promotion.”Mind-sets (思维定势) are changing gradually. When Maring had a daughter, the company equipped him witha home office and allowed him to choose a job that could be performed from there. Danish telecom company TDC initiated an internal campaign last year to encourage dads totake paternity leave: 97 percent now do. “When an employee goes on paternity leave and is with his kids, he gets a new kind of training: in how to keep cool under stress.” says spokesperson Christine Elberg Holm. For a new generation of dads, kids may come before the company -but it’s a shift that benefits both.47. Unlike women, men often get little support or information from .48. Besides supporting the family, men were also expected to .49. Like women, men hope that their desire for a flexible schedule will be .50. When Maring was on paternity leave, he was allowed by his company to work .51. Christine Holm believes paternity leave provides a new kind of training for men in that it can help them copewith .Section BDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Like most people, I’ve long understood that I will be judged by my occupation, that my profession is a gauge people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people. I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they’d never say or do to their most casual acquaintances. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then beckoned (示意) me back with his finger minute later, complaining he was ready to order a nd asking where I’d been.I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon (勤杂工) plenty of people. But at19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked — cordially.I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.My job title made people treat me with courtesy. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to cater to others’ needs. Still, it seeme d that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.I’m now applying to graduated school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want, I think I’ll take the m to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.52. The author was disappointed to find that _______.[A] one’s position is used as a gauge to measure one’s intelligence[B] talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job[C] one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person[D] professionals tend to look down upon manual workers53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?[A] Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.[B] People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.[C] Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.[D] Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all.54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?[A] She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professional.[B] She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.[C] She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.[D] She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.55. What does the author imply by saying “…many of my customers didn’t get the difference betweenserver and servant”(Lines 3-4, Para.7)?[A] Those who cater to others’ needs are destined to be looked down upon.[B] Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.[C] Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.[D] The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as server nowadays.56. The author says she’ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to ________.[A] see what kind of person they are[B] experience the feeling of being served[C] show her generosity towards people inferior to her[D] arouse their sympathy for people living a humble lifePassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.What’s hot for 2007 among the very rich? A $7.3million diamond ring. A trip to Tanzania to hunt wild animals. Oh, and income inequality.Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality for years. But increasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are staring to worry about income inequality and the fate of the middle class.In December, Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S. News & World Report, which he owns. “our nation’s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,” lamented (哀叹) the 117th-richest man in America. “Most of our economic gains have gone to people at the very top of the income ladder. Average income fo r a household of people of wor king age, by contrast, has fallen five years in a raw.” He noted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fear that a major health problem can reduce them to bankrupt cy.”Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman’s anger over th e bitter struggles faced by middle-class Americans. “It’s an outrage that any American’s life expectancy should be shortened simply because the company they worked for went bankrupt and ended health-care coverage,” said the former chairman of the Internati onal Steel Group.What’s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, the popularity of measures like increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by Ca lifornia’s governor to offer universal health care, these guys don’t need their own personal weathermen to know which way the wind blows.It’s possible that plutocrats (有钱有势的人) are expressing solidarity with the struggling middle class as part of an effort to insulate themselves from confiscatory (没收性的) tax policies. But the prospect that income inequality will lead to higher taxes on the wealthy doesn’t keep plutocrats up at night. They can live with that.No, what they fear was that the political challenges of sustaining support for global economic integration will be more difficult in the United States because of what has happened to the distribution of income and economic insecurity.In other words, if middle-class Americans continue to struggle financially as the ultrawealthy grow ever wealthier, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain political support for the free flow of goods, services, and capital across borders. And when the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreign goods, it’s likely to encourage reciprocal action abroad. For people who buy and sell companies, or who allocate capital to markets all around the world, that’s the real nightmare.57. What is the current topic of common interest among the very rich in America?[A] The fate of the ultrawealthy people.[B] The disintegration of the middle class.[C] The inequality in the distribution of wealth.[D] The conflict between the left and the right wing.58. What do we learn from Mortimer Zuckerman’s lamentation?[A] Many middle-income families have failed to make a bargain for better welfare.[B] The American economic system has caused companies to go bankrupt.[C] The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth.[D] The majority of Americans benefit little from the nation’s growing wealt h.59. From the fifth paragraph we can learn that ________.[A] the very rich are fashion-conscious[B] the very rich are politically sensitive[C] universal health care is to be implemented throughout America[D] Congress has gained popularity by increasing the minimum wage60. What is the real reason for plutocrats to express solidarity with the middle class?[A] They want to protect themselves from confiscatory taxation.[B] They know that the middle class contributes most to society.[C] They want to gain support for global economic integration.[D] They feel increasingly threatened by economic insecurity.61. What may happen if the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreigngoods?[A] The prices of imported goods will inevitably soar beyond control.[B] The investors will have to make great efforts to re-allocate capital.[C] The wealthy will attempt to buy foreign companies across borders.[D]. Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return.Part V Cloze (15 minutes)Directions: There are 20 blanks in the following passage. For each blank there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C]and [D] on the right side of the paper. You should choose the ONE that best fits into the passage. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Göttingen to give some lectures at the invitation of the mathematical physicist David Hilbert. He was particularly eager -too eager, it would turn 62 -to explain all the intricacies of relativity to him. The visit was a triumph, and he said to a friend excitedly, “I was able to 63 62. [A]up [B]over[C]out [D]off63.[A]convince [B]counsel[C]persuade [D] preach64. [A]Above [B]Around[C]Amid [D]Along。
2007年12月英语六级考试真题Part IWriting (30 minutes)Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitled Digital Age.You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below.1. 如今数字化产品得到越来越广泛的使用,并举例2. 数字化产品的使用对人工作,学习,生活产生的影响Digital AgePart II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions:In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1.For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D].For questions 8 -10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.Seven Ways to Save the WorldForget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial — riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same — or better — results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Rǒmer to cut cost costs at his family-owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, gett ing the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about € 100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his € 90,000 fuel and power bill by €60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost —or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even George W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conversation in his State of the Union speech this week.The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that couldhave the biggest impact:InsulateSpace heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero-energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out (or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces (ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air-conditioner running) have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.Change BulbsLighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs — a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Comfort ZoneWater boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer, the system can be reversed to cool building as well.Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.Remake FactoriesFrom steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company € 200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is d oing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing(优化) energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage, ” says BASF CEO Jǔrgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA quarter of the world’s energy —including two thirds of the annual production of oil —is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated (充气). Gasoline-electric hybrid (混合型) models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances,producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential p ower consumption and their utility bills by 43 percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investment?“Energy service contractors” will pay forretrofitting (翻折改造) in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting China’s steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace,slashing the client’s fuel cos ts . Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalists still push that view.Smart governments can help push the market in the right direction. The EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new buildings are required to have an “energy pass” detailing power and heating consumption. Countries like Japan and Germany have successively tightened building codes, requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays?[A] Raising efficiently. [B] Cutting unnecessary costs.[C] Finding alternative resources [D] Sacrificing some personal comforts.2. What does the European Union plan to do?[A] Diversify energy supply. [B] Cut energy consumption.[C] Reduce carbon emissions. [D] Raise production efficiency.3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to _______.[A] improve your work environment [B] cut your utility bills by half.[C] get rid of air-conditioners [D] enjoy much better health4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?[A] A small portion. [B] Some 40 percent[C] Almost half. [D] 75 to 80 percent.5. Some countries have tired to jump-start the market of heat pumps by_________.[A] upgrading the equipment [B] encouraging investments[C] implementing high-tech [D] providing subsidies6. German chemicals giant BASF saves € 200 million a year by_________.[A] recycling heat and energy [B] setting up factories in China[C] using the newest technology [D] reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if________.[A] we increase the insulation of walls and water pipes[B] we choose simpler models of electrical appliances[C] we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goods[D] we choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’__________.9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with___________.10. The strongest incentive energy conservation will drive from_____________.Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. [A] Proceed in his own way. [B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague. [D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. [A] Wash the dishes. [B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha. [D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15. [A] A car dealer. [B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner. [D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] To protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] In a studio. [B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort. [D] At a fashion show.20. [A] To live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively. [C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections:In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.[A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.[A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CDirections:In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)__________ you come back to earth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. You have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)____________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)___________________.Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)__________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section ADirections:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write youranswers on Answer Sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Men, these days, are embracing fatherhood with the round-the-clock involvement their partners have always dreamed of — handling night feedings, packing lunches and bandaging knees. But unlike women, many find they’re negotiating their new roles with little support or information. “Men in my generation (aged 25-40) have a fear of becoming dads because we have no role models,” says Jon Smith, a writer. They often find themselves excluded from mothers’ support networks, and are eyed warily (警觉地) on the playground.The challenge is particularly evident in the work-place. There, men are still expected to bebreadwinners climbing the corporate ladder: traditionally-minded bosses are often unsympathetic to family needs. In Denmark most new fathers only take two weeks of paternity leave (父亲的陪产假) — even though they are allowed 34 days. As much as if not more so than women, fathers struggle to be taken seriously when they request flexible arrangements.Though Wilfried-Fritz Maring, 54, a data-bank and Internet specialist with German firm FIZ Karlsruhe, feels that the time he spends with his daughter outweighs any disadvantages, he admits, “With my decision to work from home I dismissed any opportunity for promotion.”Mind-sets (思维定势) are changing gradually. When Maring had a daughter, the company equipped him with a home office and allowed him to choose a job that could be performed from there. Danish telecom company TDC initiated an internal campaign last year to encourage dads to take paternity leave: 97 percent now do. “When an employee goes on paternity leave and is with his kids, he gets a new kind of training: in how to keep cool under stress.”says spokesperson Christine Elberg Holm. For a new generation of dads, kids may come before the company -but it’s a shift that benefits both.47. Unlike women, men often get little support or information from .48. Besides supporting the family, men were also expected to .49. Like women, men hope that their desire for a flexible schedule will be .50. When Maring was on paternity leave, he was allowed by his company to work .51. Christine Holm believes paternity leave provides a new kind of training for men in that it can help them copewith .Section BDirections:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.Like most people, I’ve long understood that I will be judged by my occupation, that my profession is a gauge people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people. I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they’d never say or do to their most casual acquaintances. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then beckoned (示意) me back with his finger minute later, complaining he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon (勤杂工) plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked — cordially.I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.My job title made people treat me with courtesy. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket t he tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to cater to others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.I’m now applying to graduated school, which means someday I’ll return to a prof ession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want, I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them.52. The author was disappointed to find that _______.[A] one’s position is used as a gauge to measure one’s intelligence[B] talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job[C] one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person[D] professionals tend to look down upon manual workers53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?[A] Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them.[B] People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded.[C] Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances.[D] Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all.54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?[A] She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professional.[B] She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.[C] She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.[D] She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.55. What does the author imply by saying “…many of my customers didn’t get the difference between s erver andservant”(Lines 3-4, Para.7)?[A] Those who cater to others’ needs are destined to be looked down upon.[B] Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.[C] Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living.[D] The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as server nowadays.56. The author says she’ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to ________.[A] see what kind of person they are[B] experience the feeling of being served[C] show her generosity towards people inferior to her[D] arouse their sympathy for people living a humble lifePassage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.What’s hot for 2007 among the very rich? A $7.3million diamond ring. A trip to T anzania to hunt wild animals. Oh, and income inequality.Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality for years. Butincreasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are staring to worry about income inequality and the fate of the middle class.In December, Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S. News & World Report, which he owns. “our nation’s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,” lamented (哀叹) the 117th-richest man in America. “Most of our economic gains have gone to people at the very top of the income ladder. Average income for a household of people of wor king age, by contrast, has fallen five years in a raw.” He noted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fea r that a major health problem can reduce them to bankrupt cy.”Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman’s anger over the bitter struggles faced by middle-class Americans. “It’s an outrage that any American’s life expectancy should be shortened simply because the company they work ed for went bankrupt and ended health-care coverage,” said the former chairman of the International Steel Group.What’s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, the popularity of measures like increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by Ca lifornia’s governor to offer universal health care, these guys don’t need their own personal weathermen to know which way the wind blows.It’s possible that plutocrats (有钱有势的人) are expressing solidarity with the struggling middle class as part of an effort to insulate themselves from confiscatory (没收性的) tax policies. But the prospect that income inequality will lead to higher taxes on the wealthy doesn’t keep plutocrats up at night. They can live with that.No, what they fear was that the political challenges of sustaining support for global economic integration will be more difficult in the United States because of what has happened to the distribution of income and economic insecurity.In other words, if middle-class Americans continue to struggle financially as the ultrawealthy grow ever wealthier, it will be increasingly difficult to maintain political support for the free flow of goods, services, and capital across borders. And when the United States places obstacles in the way of foreign investors and foreign goods, it’s likely to encourage reciprocal action abroad. For people who buy and sell companies, or who allocate capital to markets all around the wo rld, that’s the real nightmare.57. What is the current topic of common interest among the very rich in America?[A] The fate of the ultrawealthy people.[B] The disintegration of the middle class.[C] The inequality in the distribution of wealth.[D] The conflict between the left and the right wing.58. What do we learn from Mortimer Zuckerman’s lamentation?[A] Many middle-income families have failed to make a bargain for better welfare.[B] The American economic system has caused companies to go bankrupt.[C] The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth.[D] The majority of Americans benefit little from the nation’s growing wealt h.59. From the fifth paragraph we can learn that ________.[A] the very rich are fashion-conscious[B] the very rich are politically sensitive[C] universal health care is to be implemented throughout America[D] Congress has gained popularity by increasing the minimum wage60. What is the real reason for plutocrats to express solidarity with the middle class?[A] They want to protect themselves from confiscatory taxation.[B] They know that the middle class contributes most to society.[C] They want to gain support for global economic integration.[D] They feel increasingly threatened by economic insecurity.。
2007.12.Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)Section ADirections:In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questionswill be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and thequestions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be apause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B],[C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark thecorresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2with a single line through thecentre.注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
11. [A] Proceed in his own way. [B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague. [D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. [A] Wash the dishes. [B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha. [D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15. [A] A car dealer. [B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner. [D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] To protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] In a studio. [B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort. [D] At a fashion show.20. [A] To live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively. [C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.[A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.[A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as shespeaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)__________ you come back to earth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You s mile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. You have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)____________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)___________________. Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)__________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.听力11. C Compromise with his colleague.12. B Nancy regrets buying the dress.13. A Wash the dishes.14. C She is eager to share news with the woman.15. B A mechanic.16. D There isn't much business downtown nowadays.17. B The lounge is not a place for him to study in.18. C To prevent mosquito bites.19. A In a studio.20. B To stay there for half a year.21. A Designing fashion items for several companies.22. B It has become much more competitive.23. D It enables her to understand people better.24. B Positively.25. C It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.26. D To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. C Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.28. D Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than by air.29. A In 1981.30. C The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.31. D A patient's expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. B The workings of the mind may help patients recover.33. A Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.34. D Doing daily routines.35. B A psychologist.36. squarely37. floating38. Occasionally39. dutifully40. witty41. humorous42. guilt43. material44. the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome, and nothing could be more boring45. Your blank expression, and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.46. they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something complex or interesting。
2007年12月大学英语六级考试真题Part I Writing (30 minutes )Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay entitledDigital Age . You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below. 1. 如今数字化产品得到越来越广泛的使用,并举例2. 数字化产品的使用对人工作,学习,生活产生的影响数字化产品的使用对人工作,学习,生活产生的影响Digital Age ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Part II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. For questions 8 -10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage. Seven Ways to Save the World Forget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial — riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same — or better — results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Rǒmer to cut cost costs at his family-family-owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about € 100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his € 90,000 fuel and power bill by € 60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy hasbeen very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency Efficiency is is is also also also a a a great great great way way way to to to lower lower lower carbon carbon carbon emissions emissions emissions and and and help help help slow slow slow global global global warming. warming. warming. But But But the the the best best argument for efficiency is its cost — or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices. No No wonder wonder wonder efficiency efficiency efficiency has has has moved moved moved to to to the the the top top top of of of the the the political political political agenda. agenda. agenda. On On On Jan. Jan. Jan. 10, 10, 10, the the the European European European Union Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even George W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conversation in his State of the Union speech this week. The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact: Insulate Space heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero -energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out (or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of of increasing increasing returns: if you add enough, enough, you you can can scale scale down or even even eliminate eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces (ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air -conditioner running) have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates. Change Bulbs Lighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs — a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat. Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year. Comfort Zone Water Water boilers, boilers, boilers, space space space heaters heaters heaters and and and air air air conditioners conditioners conditioners have have have been been been notoriously notoriously notoriously inefficient. inefficient. inefficient. The The The heat heat heat pump pump pump has has altered altered that that that equation. equation. equation. It It It removes removes removes heat heat heat from from from the the the air air air outside outside outside or or or the the the ground below ground below and and uses uses uses it it to to supply supply supply heat heat heat to to to a a building or its water supply. In the summer, the system can be reversed to cool building as well. Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume consume almost almost almost no no no conventional conventional conventional fuel fuel fuel at at at all. all. all. Several Several Several countries countries countries have have have used used used subsidies subsidies subsidies to to to jump-start jump-start jump-start the the the market, market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs. Remake Factories From steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site site alone, alone, alone, such such such recycling recycling recycling of of heat heat and and and energy energy energy saves saves saves the the the company company company € € € 200 200 200 million million million a a year year and and and almost almost almost half half half its its its CO CO 2emissions. emissions. Now Now Now BASF BASF BASF is is is doing doing doing the the the same same same for for for new new new plants plants plants in in in China. China. China. ““Optimizing (优化) ) energy energy energy efficiency efficiency efficiency is is is a a decisive competitive advantage, ” says BASF CEO Jǔrgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA A quarter quarter quarter of of of the the the world’s world’s world’s energy energy energy —— including including two two two thirds thirds thirds of of of the the the annual annual annual production production production of of of oil oil oil —— is is used used used for for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated (充气充气). Gasoline-electric h ybrid hybrid (混合型混合型) models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models. A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances ,producing a fifth of the wo world’s rld’s rld’s carbon carbon carbon emissions. emissions. emissions. And And And that’s that’s that’s true true true even even even though though though manufacturers manufacturers manufacturers have have have already already already hiked hiked hiked the the the efficiency efficiency efficiency of of refrigerators refrigerators and and and other other other white white white goods goods goods by by by as as as much much much as as as 70 70 70 percent percent percent since since since the the the 1980s. 1980s. 1980s. According According According to to to an an an International International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption and their utility bills by 43 percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investment ?“Energy service contractors” will pay for retrofitting (翻折改造翻折改造) in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting China’s steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investm ent to install install a a a heat heat heat exchanger exchanger exchanger that that that preheats preheats preheats the the the air air air going going going into into into the the the furnace furnace ,slashing slashing the the the client’s client’s client’s fuel fuel fuel costs . costs . Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit. If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investm ent in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with self-denial. Many environmentalistsstill push that view. Smart governments can help push the market in the right direction. T he EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new new buildings buildings buildings are are are required required required to to to have have have an an an “energy “energy “energy pass” pass” pass” detailing detailing detailing power power power and and and heating heating heating consumption. consumption. consumption. Countrie Countrie Countries s s like like Japan Japan and and and Germany Germany Germany have have have successively successively successively tightened tightened tightened building building building codes, codes, codes, requiring requiring requiring an an an increase increase increase in in in insulation insulation insulation levels levels levels but but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them. The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use. Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck. 1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays? [A] Raising efficiently. [B] Cutting unnecessary costs. [C] Finding alternative resources [D] Sacrificing some personal comforts. 2. What does the European Union plan to do? [A] Diversify energy supply. [B] Cut energy consumption. [C] Reduce carbon emissions. [D] Raise production efficiency. 3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to _______. [A] improve your work environment [B] cut your utility bills by half. [C] get rid of air-conditioners [D] enjoy much better health 4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light? [A] A small portion. [B] Some 40 percent [C] Almost half. [D] 75 to 80 percent. 5. Some countries have tired to jump-start the market of heat pumps by_________. [A] upgrading the equipment [B] encouraging investments [C] implementing high-tech [D] providing subsidies 6. German chemicals giant BASF saves € 200 million a year by_________. [A] recycling heat and energy [B] setting up factories in China [C] using the newest technology [D] reducing the CO 2 emissions of its plants 7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if________. [A] we increase the insulation of walls and water pipes [B] we choose simpler models of electrical appliances [C] we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goods [D] we choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods 8. Ene rgy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’__________.9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with___________. 10. The strongest incentive energy conservation will drive from_____________. Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth ) (25 minutes )Section ADirections:In this section, there is a short passage with 5 questions or incomplete statements. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words. Please write your answers on Answer sheet 2.Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.Men, these days, are embracing fatherhood with the round-the-clock involvement their partners have always dreamed dreamed of of of —— handling handling night night night feedings, feedings, feedings, packing packing packing lunches lunches lunches and and and bandaging bandaging bandaging knees. knees. knees. But But But unlike unlike unlike women, women, women, many many many find find they they’’re negotiating their new roles with little support or information. “Men in my generation (aged 25-40) have a fear of becoming dads because we have no role models,” says Jon Smith, a writer. They often find themselves excluded from mothers ’ support networks, and are eyed warily (警觉地) on the playground. The challenge is particularly evident in the work-place. There, men are still expected to be breadwinners climbing the corporate ladder: traditionally-minded bosses are often unsympathetic to family needs. In Denmark most new fathers only take two weeks of paternity leave (父亲的陪产假) — even though they are allowed 34 days. As much as if not more so than women, fathers struggle to be taken seriously when they request 47. Unlike women, men often get little support or information from . 48. Besides supporting the family, men were also expected to . will be . 50. When Maring was on paternity leave, he was allowed by his company to work with . whose only job is to serve them. 52. The author was disappointed to find that _______.[A] one’s position is used as a gauge to measure one’s intelligence[B] talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job [C] one’s occupation affects the way one is treated as a person[D] professionals tend to look down upon manual workers 53. What does the author intend to say by the example in the second paragraph?[A] Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them. [B] People absorbed in a phone conversation tend to be absent-minded. [C] Waitresses are often treated by customers as casual acquaintances. [D] Some customers like to make loud complaints for no reason at all. 54. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?[A] She felt it unfair to be treated as a mere servant by professional. [B] She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon. [C] She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her. [D] She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior. 55. What does the author imply by saying “…many of my customers didn’t get the difference betweenserver and servant”(Lines 3-4, Para.7)?[A] Those who cater to others’ needs are destined to be looked down upon.[B] Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.[C] Those serving others have to put up with rough treatment to earn a living. [D] The majority of customers tend to look on a servant as server nowadays. 56. The author says she’ll one day take her clients to dinner in order to ________.[A] see what kind of person they are [B] experience the feeling of being served [C] show her generosity towards people inferior to her [D] arouse their sympathy for people living a humble life Passage TwoQuestions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.What’s What’s hot hot hot for for for 2007 2007 2007 among among among the the the very very very rich? rich? rich? A A A $7.3million $7.3million $7.3million diamond diamond diamond ring. ring. ring. A A A trip trip trip to to Tanzania Tanzania to to to hunt hunt hunt wild wild animals. Oh, and income inequality. Sure, some leftish billionaires like George Soros have been railing against income inequality for years. But increasingly, centrist and right-wing billionaires are staring to worry about income inequality and the fate of the middle class. In December, Mortimer Zuckerman wrote a column in U.S. News & World Report, which he owns. “our nation’s core bargain with the middle class is disintegrating,” lamented (哀叹) the 117th -richest man in America. “Most “Most of of of our our our economic economic economic gains gains gains have have have gone gone gone to people to people at at the the the very very very top top top of of of the the the income income income ladder. Average ladder. Average income income for a for a household of people of wor king age, by contrast, has fallen five years in a raw.” He noted that “Tens of millions of Americans live in fear that a major health problem can reduce them to bankrupt cy.”Wilbur Ross Jr. has echoed Zuckerman’s anger over the bitter struggles faced by middle -class Americans. “It’s “It’s an an an outrage outrage outrage that that that any any any American’s American’s American’s life life life expectancy expectancy expectancy should should should be be be shortened shortened shortened simply simply simply because because because the the the company company company they they worked for went bankrupt and ended health-care coverage,” said the former chairman of the International Steel Group. What’s happening? The very rich are just as trendy as you and I, and can be so when it comes to politics and policy. Given the recent change of control in Congress, the popularity of measures like increasing the minimum wage, and efforts by Ca lifornia’s governor to offer universal health care, these guys don’t need their own personal ttingen to give In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Gö62 -63 64 time, a new scientific anxiety was about to 65 . He was 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 up 73 come up 74 himself into a month-long frantic endeavor in 75 he 76 that he 77 78 79 formulation of it. Einstein also took time off from 80 81 答案:答案:快速阅读快速阅读1 A) Raising efficiency 2 B) Cut energy consumption 3 C) Get rid of air-conditioners 4 A) A small proportion (新东方选B) Some forty percent 错) 5 D) Providing subsidies 6 A) Recycling heat and energy 7 D) We choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods 8 annual utility-bill savings. 9 self-denial. 10 the market itself. 阅读简答阅读简答47 from mother’s support network.48 climb the corporate ladder. 49 taken seriously. 50 at home. / in a home office 51 stress. 阅读Section B 52 C One’s occupationaffects the way one is treated as a person.53 A Some customers simply show no respect to those who serve them. 54 D She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior. 55 B Those working in the service industry shouldn’t be treated as servants.56 A See what kind of person they are. 57 C The inequality in the distribution of wealth. 58 C The American nation is becoming more and more divided despite its wealth 59 B The very rich are politically sensitive. 60 C They want to gain support for global economics’ integration.61 D Foreign countries will place the same economic barriers in return. 完形完形62.C) out 63.A) convince 64.C) Amid 65.B) emerge 66.C) describe 67.A) ones 68.D) through 69.B) realized 70.A) pursuing 71.D) competitive 72.B) horror 73.C) with 74.A) threw 75.D) which 76.C) rushed 77.A) successive 78.C) though 79.D) furiously 80.B) about 81.A) curious 翻译翻译82 our communication would not have been so rapid and convenient 83 nothing is more helpful than a sense of humor 84 but (he) refused to make further explanation( for doing so)/ to further explain why 85 while animal behavior depends mainly upon (on) their instinct(s) 86 should he lie to the court 。
2007年12月六级听力试题及答案(含原文)2007年12月Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes) Section ADirections: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.11. [A] Proceed in his own way. [B] Stick to the original plan.[C] Compromise with his colleague. [D] Try to change his colleague’s mind.12. [A] Many has a keen eye for style.[B] Nancy regrets buying the dress.[C] Nancy and Mary went shopping together in Rome.[D] Nancy and Mary like to follow the latest fashion.13. [A] Wash the dishes. [B] Go to the theatre.[C] Pick up George and Martha. [D] Take her daughter to hospital.14. [A] She enjoys making up stories about other people.[B] She can never keep anything to herself for long.[C] She is eager to share news with the woman.[D] She is the best informed woman in town.15. [A] A car dealer. [B] A mechanic.[C] A driving examiner. [D] A technical consultant.16. [A] The shopping mall has been deserted recently.[B] Shoppers can only find good stores in the mall.[C] Lots of people moved out of the downtown area.[D] There isn’t much business downtown nowadays.17. [A] He will help the woman with her reading.[B] The lounge is not a place for him to study in.[C] He feels sleepy whenever he tries to study.[D] A cozy place is rather hard to find on campus.18. [A] T o protect her from getting scratches.[B] To help relieve her of the pain.[C] To prevent mosquito bites.[D] To avoid getting sun burnt.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. [A] In a studio. [B] In a clothing store.[C] At a beach resort. [D] At a fashion show.20. [A] T o live there permanently.[B] To stay there for half a year.[C] To find a better job to support herself.[D] To sell leather goods for a British company.21. [A] Designing fashion items for several companies.[B] Modeling for a world-famous Italian company.[C] Working as an employee for Ferragamo.[D] Serving as a sales agent for Burberrys.22. [A] It has seen a steady decline in its profits.[B] It has become much more competitive.[C] It has lost many customers to foreign companies.[D] It has attracted a lot more designers from abroad.Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. [A] It helps her to attract more public attention.[B] It improves her chance of getting promoted.[C] It strengthens her relationship with students.[D] It enables her to understand people better.24. [A] Passively. [B] Positively. [C] Skeptically. [D] Sensitively.25. [A] It keeps haunting her day and night.[B] Her teaching was somewhat affected by it.[C] It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.[D] Her mind goes blank once she gets on the stage.Section BDirections: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D]. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. Passage OneQuestions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. [A] To win over the majority of passengers from airlines in twenty years.[B] To reform railroad management in western European countries.[C] To electrify the railway lines between major European cities.[D] To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. [A] Major European airlines will go bankrupt.[B] Europeans will pay much less for traveling.[C] Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.[D] Trains will become the safest and most efficient means of travel in Europe.28. [A] Train travel will prove much more comfortable than air travel.[B] Passengers will feel much safer on board a train than on a plane.[C] Rail transport will be environmentally friendlier than air transport.[D] Traveling by train may be as quick as, or even quicker than, by air.29. [A] In 1981. [B] In 1989.[C] In 1990. [D] In 2000.Passage TwoQuestions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30.[A] There can be no speedy recovery for mental patients.[B] Approaches to healing patients are essentially the same.[C] The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.[D] There is no clear division of labor in the medical profession.31.[A] A doctor’s fame strengthens the patients’ faith in them.[B] Abuse of medicines is widespread in many urban hospitals.[C] One third of the patients depend on harmless substances for cure.[D] A patient’s expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. [A] Expensive drugs may not prove the most effective.[B] The workings of the mind may help patients recover.[C] Doctors often exaggerate the effect of their remedies.[D] Most illnesses can be cured without medication.Passage ThreeQuestions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. [A] Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.[B] Defying all dangers when they have to.[C] Being fond of making sensational news.[D] Dreaming of becoming famous one day.34. [A] Working in an emergency room. [B] Listening to rock music.[C] Watching horror movies. [D] Doing daily routines.35. [A] A rock climber. [B] A psychologist.[C] A resident doctor. [D] A career consultant.Section CDirections: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.If you’re like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. Y ou go to history class, sit in the third row, and look (36) ________ at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, (37)_________ in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. (38)__________ you come back to earth: The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you (39)___________ copy it in you notebook. Every once in a while theinstructor makes a (40)_________ remark, causing others in the class to laugh. Y ou smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly (41)__________. Y ou have a vague sense of (42)________ that you aren’t paying close attention. But you tell yourself that any (43) __________ you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, (44)____________________.So back you go into your private little world, only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. (45)___________________.Even if you are not exposed there’s another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behaviorto become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that (46)__________________________. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.答案听力11. C Compromise with his colleague.12. B Nancy regrets buying the dress.13. A Wash the dishes.14. C She is eager to share news with the woman.15. B A mechanic.16. D There isn't much business downtown nowadays.17. B The lounge is not a place for him to study in.18. C To prevent mosquito bites.19. A In a studio.20. B To stay there for half a year.21. A Designing fashion items for several companies.22. B It has become much more competitive.23. D It enables her to understand people better.24. B Positively.25. C It vanishes the moment she steps into her role.26. D To set up an express train network throughout Europe.27. C Traveling time by train between major European cities will be cut by half.28. D Traveling by train may be as quick as,or even quicker than by air.29. A In 1981.30. C The mind and body should be taken as an integral whole.31. D A patient's expectations of a drug have an effect on their recovery.32. B The workings of the mind may help patients recover.33. A Enjoying strong feelings and emotions.34. D Doing daily routines.35. B A psychologist.36. squarely37. floating38. Occasionally39. dutifully40. witty41. humorous42. guilt43. material44. the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome, and nothing could bemore boring45. Y our blank expression, and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray youinattentiveness.46. they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on somethingcomplex or interesting2007年12月英语六级真题听力原文Section A11. M: The biological project is now in trouble, you know, my colleague and I have completely different ideas about how to proceed.W: Why don’t you compromise (让步,妥协)?Try to make it a win-win situation (双赢) for you both.Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?12. M: How does Nancy like the new dress she bought in Rome?W: She said she would never have bought an Italian style dress if she had known Mary Had already got such a dress.Q: What do we learn from the conversation?13. M: You are not going to do all those dishes before we leave, are you? If we don’t pick up(开车接) George and Martha in 25 minutes, we’ll never get to the theater on time.W: Oh, didn’t I tell you Martha called to say her daughter was ill and they could not got tonight?Q: What is the woman probably going to do first?14. M: You’ve been hanging on to the phone (打电话不挂断) for quite a while. Who were you talking with?W: Oh, it was Sally. You know, she always has the latest news in town and can’t wait to talk it over with me.Q: What to we learn about Sally from the conversation?15. W: It’s always been hard to get this car into first gear (挂一挡),and now the clutch seems to be slipping.M: If you leave the car with me, I will fix it for you this afternoon.Q: Who is the woman probably speaking to?16. M: Kate, why does the downtown area look deserted now?W: Well, there used to be some really good stores, but lots of them moved out to the mall.’Q: What do we learn from the conversation?17. W: I find the lounge such a cozy place to study in. I really like the feeling of sitting on the sofa and doing the reading.M: Well, for me the hardest part about studying here is staying awake .Q: What does the man mean?18. W: There mosquito bites are killing me. I ca n’t help scratching.M: Next time you go camping, take some precaution, say, wearing long sleeves .Q: Why does the man suggest the woman wear long sleeves?Conversation OneM: Hello, and welcome to our program, “Working Abroad”. Our guest this eveni ng is a Londoner, who lives and works in Italy, Her name’s Susan Hill. Susan, welcome to the program (19). You live in Florence, how long have you been living there?W: Since 1982. But when I went there in 1982, I planned to stay for only 6 months(20).M: Why did you change your mind?W: Well, I’m a designer, I design leather goods, mainly shoes and handbags, Soon after I arrived in Florence, I got a job with o ne of Italy’s top fashion houses, Ferregamo. So, I decided to stay.M: How lucky! Do you still work for Ferregamo?W: No, I’ve been a freelance designer for quite a long time now, since 1988, in fact. (21)M: So does that mean you design for several different companies now?W: Yes, that’s right. I’ve designed many fashion items for a number of Italian companies, and in the last four years, I’ve also been designing for the British company, Burberrys. (21) M: What have you been designing for them?W: Mostly handbags and small leather goods.M: How’s the fashion industry in Italy changed since 1982?W: oh, yes. It’s become a lot more competitive (22). Because the quality of products from other countries has improved a lot. But Italian quality and design is still world-famous.M: And do you ever think of returning to live in England?W: No, not really. Working in Italy is more interesting. I also love the Mediterranean sun and the Italian life style.M: Well, thank you for talking to us, Susan.W: It was a pleasure.Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.19. Where does this talk most probably take place?20. What was the woman’ s original plan when she went to Florence?21. What has the woman been doing for a living since 1988?22. What do we learn about the change in Italy’s fashion industry?Conversation TwoM: So, Claire, you’re into drama?W: Yes, I have a master’s degree in Drama and Theatre. At the moment, I’m hoping to get onto a Ph.D. Program.M: What excites you about drama?W: Well, I find it’s a communicative way to study people and you learn how to read people in drama. So usually I can understand what people are saying, even though they might be lying. (23)M: That would be useful.W: Yeah, it’s very useful for me as well. I’m an English lecturer, so use a lot for drama in my classes, such as role plays. And I ask my students to create mini-dramas. They really respond well. (24) At the moment, I’m hoping to get onto a Ph. D. course.I would like to concentrate on Asian drama and try to bring Asian theatre to the world’s attention. I don’t know how successful I would be, but, here’s hoping.M: Oh, I’m sure you’ll be successful. Now, Claire , what do you do for stage fright?W: Ah, stage fright! Well, many actors have that problem. Get stage fright every time I’m going to teach a new class. The night before, I usually can’t sleep.M: What? For teaching?W: Yes. I get really bad stage fright. But the minute I step into the classroom or get onto the stage, it just all falls into place. Then I just feel like: Yeah, this is what I mean to do. And I’m fine (25).M: Wow, that’s cool!Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.23. Why does the woman find study in drama and theatre useful?24. How did the woman’s students respond to her way of teaching Englsih?25. What does the woman say about her stage fright?Section BPassage OneIn January 1989, the Community of European Railways presented their proposal for a high speed pan-European train network, extending from Sweden to Sicily, and from Portugal to Poland by the year 2020. (26) If their proposal becomes a reality, it will revolutionize train travel in Europe. Journeys between major cities will take half the time they take today. (27) Brussels will be only one and a half hours from Paris. The quickest way to get from Paris to Frankfurt, from Barcelona to Madrid will be by train, not plane. When the network is compete, it will integrate three types of railway line: totally new high-speed lines with trains operating at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour, upgraded lines which allow for speeds up to 200 to 225 kilometers per hour, and existing lines for local connections and distribution of freight. If business people can choose between a 3-hour train journey from city-center to city-center and 1-hour flight, they’ll choose the train (28), says an execu tive travel consultant. They won’t go by plane any more. If you calculate flight time, check-in and travel to-and-from the airport, you’ll find almost no difference. And if your plane arrives late due to bad weather or air traffic jams or strikes, then the train passengers will arrive at their destination first. (28) Since France introduced the first 260-kilometer per hour high speed train service between Paris and Lyon in 1981 (29), the trains have achieved higher and higher speeds. On many routes, airlines have lost up to 90% of their passengers to high speed trains. If people accept the Community of European Railways’ Railways’ Plan, the 21st century will be new age of the trains.Question 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.26. What is the proposal presented by the Community of European Railways?27. What will happen when the proposal becomes a reality?28. Why will business people prefer a 3-hour train journey toa 1-hour flight?29. When did France introduce the first high speed train service?Passage TwoWestern doctors are beginning to understand what traditional healers have always known that the body and the mind are inseparable. (30) Until recently, modern urban physicians heal the body, psychiatrist the mind, and priests the soul. However, the medical world is now paying more attention to holistic medicine, which is an approach based on the belief that people’s state of mind can make them sick or speed their recovery from sickness. Several studies show that the effectiveness of a certain drug often depends on the patients’ expectations of it. For example, in one recent study, psychiatrists at a major hospital tried to see how patients could be made calm.(31) They divided them into two groups. One group was given a drug while the other group received a harmless substance instead of medicine without their knowledge. Surprisingly, more patients in the second group showed the desired effect than those in the first group. In study after study, there’s a positive reaction in almost one-third of the patients taking harmless substances. How was this possible? How can such asubstance have an effect on the body? Evidence from a 1997study at the University of California shows that several patients who received such substances were able to produce their own natural drug, that is, as they took the substance their brains released natural chemicals that act like a drug. (32) Scientists theorized that the amount of these chemicals released by a person’s brain quite possibly indicates how muc h faith the person has in his or her doctor.Question 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.30. According to the speaker, what are western doctors beginning to understand?31. What does the recent study at a major hospital seem to prove?32. What evidence does the 1997 study at the University of California produce?Passage ThreeSo we’ve already talked a bit about the growth of extreme sports likerock-climbing. As psychologists, we need to ask ourselves (35): Why is this person doing this? Why do people take these risks and pu t themselves in danger when they don’t have to? One common trait among risk-takers is that they enjoy strong feelings or sensations. (33) We call this trait sensation-seeking. A sensation-seeker is someone who’s always looking for new sensations. What else do we know aboutsensation-seekers? Well, as I said, sensation-seekers like strong emotions. You can see this trait in many parts of a person’s life, not just in extreme sports. For example, many sensation-seekers enjoy hard rock music. They like the loud sound and strong emotion of the songs. Similarly, sensation-seekers enjoy frightening horror movies. They like the feeling of being scared and horrified while watching the movie. This feeling is even stronger for extreme sports where the person faces real danger. Sensation-seekers feel the danger is very exciting. In addition, sensation-seekers like new experiences that force them to push their personal limits. For them, repeating the same things everyday is boring.(34) Many sensation-seekers choose jobs that involve risk, such as starting a new business or being an emergency room doctor. These jobs are different everyday, so they never know what will happen. That’s why many sensation-seekers also like extreme sports. When you do rock-climbing, you never know what will happen. The activity is always new and different.Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.33. According to the speaker, what is a common trait among risk-takers?34. What do sensation-seekers find boring?35. What is t he speaker’s profession?Section CIf you are like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sit in the third row, and look squarely (36) at the instructor as she speaks. But your mind is far away, floating (37) in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. Occasionally (38) you come back to earth: the instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard, and you dutifully (39) copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a witty (40) remark, causing others in the class to laugh. You smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly humorous (41). You have a vague sense of guilt (42) thatyou aren’t paying close attentio n, but you tell yourself that any material (43) you miss can be picked upfrom a friend’s notes. Besides, the instructor is talking about road construction in ancient Rome and nothing could be more boring (44). So back you go into your private little world. Only la ter do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test.Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you’re merely pretending to listen. Your blank expression and the faraway look in your eyes are the cues that betray you inattentiveness (45).Even if you’re not exposed, there’s another reason to avoid fakery: it’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply rooted that they automatically start daydreaming when a speaker begins talking on something complex or uninteresting (46). As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.。
2007年12月大学英语六级(CET-6)真题试卷PartⅠWriting(30minutes)注意:此部分试题在答题卡1上。
Directions:For this part,you are allowed30minutes to write a short essay entitled Digital Age.You should write at least150words following the outline given below.1.如今数字化产品得到越来越广泛的使用,并举例2.数字化产品的使用对人工作,学习,生活产生的影响Digital AgePart II Reading Comprehension(Skimming and Scanning)(15minutes) Directions:In this part,you will have15minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet1.For questions1-7,choose the best answer from the fourchoices marked[A],[B],[C]and[D].For questions8-10,complete the sentences withthe information given in the passage.Seven Ways to Save the WorldForget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self-denial—riding bicycles, dimming the lights,and taking fewer showers.These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy.When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Rǒmer to cut cost costs at his family-owned hotel in Germany,he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs,getting the same light for80percent less power.He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump,and wrapped insulation around the pipes.Spending about€100,000on these and other improvements,he slashed his€90,000fuel and power bill by€60,000.As a bonus,the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than200metric tons.“For us,saving energy has been very,very profitable,”he says.“And most importantly,we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming.But the best argument for efficiency is its cost—or,more precisely,its profitability.That’s becausequickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply,not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda.On Jan.10,the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by20percent st March, China imposed a20percent increase in energy efficiency by2020.Even George W.Bush,the Texas oilman,is expected to talk about energy conversation in his State of the Union speech this week.The good news is that the world is full of proven,cheap ways to save energy.Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact:InsulateSpace heating and cooling eats up36percent of all the world’s energy.There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved,as prototype“zero-energy homes”in Switzerland and Germany have shown.There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out(or vice versa).The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns:if you add enough,you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air-conditioning equipment,lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills.Studies have shown that green workplaces(ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air-conditioner running)have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.Change BulbsLighting eats up20percent of the world’s electricity,or the equivalent of roughly600,000 tons of coal a day.Forty percent of that powers old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19th-century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.Compact fluorescent lamps,or CFLs,not only use75to80percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light,but they also last10times longer.Phasing old bulbs out by2030would save the output of650power plants and avoid the release of700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year.Comfort ZoneWater boilers,space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient.The heat pump has altered that equation.It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply.In the summer,the system can be reversed to cool building as well.Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with ground-source heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all.Several countries have used subsidies to jump-start the market,including Japan,where almost1million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.Remake FactoriesFrom steel mills to paper factories,industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy.The opportunities to save are vast.In Ludwigshafen,German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than200chemical factories,where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next.At the Ludwigshafen site alone,such recycling of heat and energy saves the company€200million a year and almost half its CO2emissions.Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China.“Optimizing(优化)energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage,”says BASF CEO Jǔrgen Hambrecht.Green DrivingA quarter of the world’s energy—including two thirds of the annual production of oil—isused for transportation.Some savings come free of charge:you can boost fuel efficiency by6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated(充气).Gasoline-electric hybrid(混合型)models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further20percent over conventional models.A Better FridgeMore than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances,producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions.And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as70percent since the1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study,if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance,they’d cut global residential power consumption and their utility bills by43percent.Flexible PaymentWho says you have to pay for all your conservation investment?“Energy service contractors”will pay for retrofitting(翻折改造)in return for a share of the client’s annual utility-bill savings.In Beijing,Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co.specializes in retrofitting China’s steel furnaces.Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace,slashing the client’s fuel costs.Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings,so both Shenwu and the client profit.If saving energy is so easy and profitable,why isn’t everyone doing it?It has to do with psychology and a lack of information.Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings.That holds double for the landlord or developer,who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate.In many people’s minds,conservation is still associated with self-denial.Many environmentalists still push that view.Smart governments can help push the market in the right direction.The EU’s1994law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year.To boost the market value of efficiency,all new buildings are required to have an“energy pass”detailing power and heating consumption.Countries like Japan and Germany have successively tightened building codes,requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.The most powerful incentives,of course,will come from the market itself.Over the past year,sky-high fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before.Ever-increasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.Will it be enough?With global demand and emissions rising so fast,we may not have any choice but to try.Efficient technology is here now,proven and pared with all other options,it’s the biggest,easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.注意:此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。